Rolling mills for rolling steel and other metals are comprised of multiple rolls for forming metal into sheets. The rolls must be machine ground periodically in order to maintain proper surface tolerances on the sheet products. When a new roll is received in a roll shop, an RFID tag is embedded in the end face of the roll. The shop clerk, upon receipt of the new roll, assigns an identification number to the roll and writes the string of data to the RFID tag using an input device. FIG. 3 shows a typical input device.
The shop then maintains a database containing a running history of the surface. wear and machining of the roll. Rolls may be re-ground several times during their useful life. A roll is placed in service in a rolling mill for a period of time, eventually becoming deformed through wear. The roll is then returned to the shop for grinding. Thus when the roll is returned to the shop to be ground, the characteristics of the roll can be measured, and a profile established automatically for regrinding the roll to the desired profile. “The Making Shaping and Treating of Steel”, 10th Ed., Herbick & Held [Chapter 23 “Construction and Operation of Rolling Mills”] provides a detailed explanation of rolling mills and is hereby incorporated by reference.
The data related to a roll can be written to a radio frequency identification (“RFID”) device and stored. The RFID device is commonly termed an RFID tag. RFID tags are miniscule microchips, which may be as tiny as half of a grain of sand. In practice, the RFID tags are housed in a disc slightly larger than the size of a coin. Some roll manufacturers include an RFID device embedded into a recess at one end of the roll. A radio frequency transponder system typically includes an RF reader unit and an RFID device. Operation of the RF transponder system is generally characterized by multiple operating modes including excitation, response and read modes. The RF transponder system requires electrical power to operate in each of these modes. In particular, the RF reader unit must be powered during the excitation and read modes while the RFID device must be powered during the response mode. Typically, in RF transponder systems the RFID device is a passive device, i.e., the RFID device lacks an internal power source or physical connection to an external power source. The passive RFID device is powered remotely by the RF reader unit while the RFID device is free of contact with the RF reader unit. An exemplary passive RFID device and its method of operation are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,188 to Milheiser. The RF reader unit is conventionally connected to an electrical power source, such as an ac power line, which powers the RF reader unit.
The embedded RFID tag is normally placed in the flat, circular end surface of the roll cylinder. This portion of a roll is where the roll normally rests in a bearing when in use in a rolling mill. It is also where the roll rests when set into a grinding machine for resurfacing. The rolls are massive pieces, and the movement of the rolls may be hazardous to personnel working in the immediate area, such as when the rolls are being moved into and out of position for grinding.
Presently, the operator must acquire the roll data from the RFID tag using a manual RF reader, by walking from the operator's control desk to the footstock portion of a grinding machine to hold the RF reader adjacent to the RFID tag, then return to the control desk to transfer the roll data manually into a computerized database so that the grinding profile can be generated. The footstock portion of a grinding machine is the portion opposite the headstock portion containing the motor drive for rotating the workpiece—i.e., the roll—for grinding. The operator must stand in the immediate area of the heavy moving equipment while performing this manual read operation. This process creates potential for workplace injuries, and for human error in transferring the data. Also, time saved in transferring the data results in inefficiency in the grinding operation.
Thus, there exists a need for a fully automated method, system and apparatus for acquiring data from an RFID tag associated with a rolling mill roll by automatically positioning an RF reader.